CSI Monday Majlis: John L Esposito
Among the Believers: A Journey in Islam, the Muslim World and Global Politics
Register please on this link: https://universityofexeter.zoom.us/meeting/register/uMZuYLICSDqMH2gQW3IwCA
| A Centre for the Study of Islam seminar | |
|---|---|
| Date | 6 October 2025 |
| Time | 17:00 to 18:30 |
| Place | Online |
Event details
Abstract
John L. Esposito is Distinguished University Professor of Religion and International Affairs and Professor of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University. He is Founding Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and The Bridge Initiative: Protecting Pluralism – Ending Islamophobia in the Walsh School of Foreign Service. Past President of the American Academy of Religion and Middle East Studies Association of North America, Esposito has been a member of the World Economic Forum’s Council of 100 Leaders and the E. C. European Network of Experts on De-Radicalization, a senior scientist for The Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, and an ambassador for the UN Alliance of Civilizations. He has served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of State and other agencies, European and Asian governments, corporations, universities, and media worldwide. His more than 55 books have been translated into more than 50 languages.
I began my study of Islam and engaged Muslims a long time ago in the late 1960s when Islam and Muslims were relatively invisible in the West and in academia. The early phase of my career was at a time when there were very, very few programs, jobs, conferences and books etc.
The AAR had no section on Islam, MESA and other organizations had little to no coverage of Islam in contemporary history and politics. As a result, scholars, government and corporate leaders in the Muslim world and the West, as well as the media were ill equipped to anticipate, understand and respond to the widespread resurgence of religion in the Muslim world and in global politics.
This talk will discuss my long and complex journey for more than fifty years. I will focus on the challenges, difficulties and multiple ways in which I have responded as a scholar, author, founder and director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, and public intellectual in the incredible development of Islamic Studies.
